hadriel | ∞4 | video. Death Takes A Holiday;

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∞4 | video. Death Takes A Holiday;

[From the angle shown, Ravine is holding the phone away from her face, elbow propped with her chin in the palm of her gloved hand -- and even now, hints of black smoke continue wafting from her hair and coat.

[ Although apparently uncomfortable, she flashes her smile just as she always has.]

"Well, for those who believe themselves capable, I would advise against any attempts at reaching that ninth god beneath the Colosseum the easy way. It leads to some rather ill results."

[She would know.

[Soon her gold eyes shift back to the soft brown most are used to seeing when she is not wearing her sunglasses. Once she is feeling a little better and not radiating black vapors anymore, her stern expression transforms into a smile, her face scrunched in amusement.]

"For anyone not interested in that, however, I have a question!

"Imagine, if you will, that you have been a dead person for thousands of years. It has also been that long since you've ever felt or tasted anything.

"Then imagine if you have been given an opportunity here to be a living, breathing person -- but only for a few days! Would you mind sharing what you would do with that short time in the mortal plane?

"I admit, I am perhaps looking at this from a dead woman's perspective, but it does not appear that there is much to do for the corporeal here when there is not a festival being thrown by our gracious locals. It would be a shame to put such a generous gift to waste."

['But Ravine, why not just ask the gods to make you permanently living?!' one might say.

[Yeah, no, that is the one thing she is not addressing right now, thank you very much.]

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With a glowing review like that, how could I refuse?

[She does miss the gardens of Babylon. The dream she shared has left a nostalgic hole in her ever since.

[Ravine is certain that there are no gender restrictions at the hot springs, given Ianchus' little Bacchanalia there, but she won't make such an appeal.]

I agree. Is there anything else you do here for fun, other than games? Because we can do those any time regardless of the status of my pulse. [She chuckles.]

What, are you trying to telling me there is more in life than games?

「He is, of course, kidding.

He is!
But he tries to think about something he enjoys as well and well... He just really likes games, okay?!」

I like swimming too, though, doing so in the sea is different than those desert pools or a river... Other than that, I don't know how much you'd enjoy sparring with me.

I know. Crazy, is it not?

[She grins. Two can play at that game.]

Swimming would be lovely. [Ravine has always found peace with the water.] Although I do not think I would make a good sparring partner. I am not certain I can fight well when the laws of physics are applied.

My world is crumbling.

「Okay, enough of that.」

Hmm, I'm gonna have to think of a way for you to feel some adrenaline...

「Look, if he wasn't a nerdy duelist, he'd be into some hardcore sports... It's all about the high it gives, okay?」

I will hold you to that. Something tells me that the hosts who lived here were not quite what you would call thrill seekers.

[Ravine technically never was, either -- but she wants that rush, man. If she's going to be alive for a while, she may as well feel it, too.]

... No they weren't. They took enough delight on worshipping their gods in a rather...

...

...

--boring manner...

「Look, she knows his culture was forged on celebrations and whatnot, not trying to be rude or anything but in comparison... eh.」

At least it's what Rage said.

I have suspected as much. The hosts did not appear to be a particularly abstruse race of people. It would explain why the gods of this world have such difficulty placating those brought here.

True... Never thought about it that way. I should know better than make assumptions by now.

「It's hard!

He makes a little pause tho.」

Can I ask you something...?

Of course, Atem. You do not need to ask me if you may ask something.

[But it's a general social courtesy, she knows.]

「He grows uncharacteristically shy, opting to even look at the corner of his screen than at her directly.」

I... saw some of your replies and... Why weren't you interested in what you're not interested?

「Yes, that. It should be easier if he was a little more direct about it but, while it's not something someone like him would be ashamed to speak about, just because of his origins, he's still fairly self conscious about it, he cannot say he's exactly an expert in the topic after all.」

[She forms a coy smile at how he approaches the subject.]

I am afraid you will have to be a little more specific than that.

[While she has a feeling she knows what he means, she would rather coax the answer out of him the old fashioned way.]

「Oh come on! He knows she's making it difficult for him!」

......

...

「HOW DOES HE ASK!?

See him swallow.」

You... Have you-- 「He gets redder by the second, Ra, help him!」 never...

Um... been...

「Abort, abort! It's not important anyway!」

You know what... never mind...

[And now she just LAUGHS.]

Are you asking why I am not interested in having "crazy awesome sex" as others are?

[Come on, Ravine, you know that's what it is.]

「Why him?」

Y-yeah...

[She shrugs, at least trying to be more sincere this time.]

Your guess would be as good as mine! I had simply never done it, and never felt the impulse to. By the time I was -- I believe in my thirties? -- that had not changed. But I... also did not like to touch people back then, and that only worsened as I grew older.

「Well, that's much better, but he allows a little moment of silence, trying to make sense of it based by his own experiences, or the lack of.」

I guess it does sound like you.

「Not much like him, no, which is a little disappointing, for him, only. But he doesn't dwell on it for long, never truly has, there is no point.」

I didn't... I never understood why they made such a big deal about it. You're not missing anything.

「That much he can say to agree with her on some level.」

Edited 2018-07-19 12:01 (UTC)

[She chuckles again, more blithe this time.]

Does it, now? I suppose it is rather difficult to see myself enjoy rutting around for what little precious time I would have.

[While Ravine does get its appeal to the masses, it's just never drawn her. She has a hard time seeing anyone in a lustful way.]

There is a reason why they call the attraction people have to one another "chemistry" -- it is all very chemical. Some just have more of it than others.

「Don't make him imagine those things! It's like thinking of his sister doing it! Not that he had one but, hey!」

They do now? ... I guess I don't know much about any of that.

「He gives little awkward shrug. But it does leave him thinking.」

[Oh come on. You Egyptians sometimes married your own sisters.]

Bio-science was rather lacking in those times, but there are physical responses that explain the attraction individuals feel for one another. Oxytocin plays an important role in a variety of bonding experiences, including more intimate ones.

[It helps that Ravine has been around for the last few thousands of years to watch science develop so she can know these things. Even if it doesn't apply to her in any practical sense, it's still fascinating to her.]

「Shush! He didn't have one!

Well, that sounds fascinating indeed.

Also kinda boring.」

Hmm... I guess that goes far beyond to what people were suggesting as an experience for you.

「Again, it leaves him thinking, but it's not like he's gonna be doing that here anyway, or, well, who knows. It's not something he's ever pursued either, it was even Yugi who was a little more into that... He was just a little bit curious why she wouldn't want to.」

Perhaps. Despite the biological response of such attraction, I do know that it is a possible phenomenon for those such as myself -- other Psychopomps -- to experience a similar bond with others. However, it goes beyond sex when you lack a physical body.

[The closest Ravine ever felt to such a thing towards anyone was Elizabeth, but she certainly did not lament being unable to sate any sensual urges.]

I did not...

「But that does resonate with him a little more, deviating from his experiences while being alive and, focusing more on the lasts ones.」

How was it?

「He's sure... so very sure he knows how it was.」

It is... inexplicable. Less to do with what you feel in your heart and more with what you feel in your soul -- and that, in some way, there is no fear that you are not capable of giving enough or receiving enough because the existence of that other is simply... enough.

[It's the most wishy-washy thing Ravine has ever allowed herself to be, but it is something she had once felt so strongly that she clung onto it, made it her own and no one else's.]

「That uncharacteristic awkwardness that came from Atem but a few minutes ago seems to simply fade as she speaks. Yes, this is something he's definitely more in sync with.

He could probably tell her about it, how he felt the same, or something close to it when he shared a heart with Yugi, even though it was different for them both, under different and unavoidable circumstances. He remains in silence, probably reminiscing more than anything, but that's all he ever does, doesn't he? He could spend his life away just thinking about it—and that's why he probably shouldn't even mention it, not that it would be a problem for Ravine to know what he's thinking about, or who. He cannot afford himself to get lost in there — Stop. Making. Things. About. Yourself. — so, instead, he merely smiles.」

I'm glad you found that connection with someone, even after everything.

「Who would be able to say that they had found something so special after their deaths?」

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